Contact information

Research: Since my student years I have been fascinated by the interrelation between religion and politics. Most of my published work has been on religious and political thought in Latin Christianity, ranging from antiquity to reformation period. However, I also wrote articles and essays on most recent developments in theology and political philosophy. My current research is on the emergence of revolutionary apocalypticsm in the Later Middle Ages and Early Modernity. I’m working on a monograph on the German radical reformer Thomas Müntzer. The main objective is to explore how apocalyptic and mystical thinking may serve as inspiration and justification for violent action. More details about my research and publications are available at http://ceu.academia.edu/MatthiasRiedl

Teaching: In the many courses I taught at CEU I tried to expand the scope beyond my research areas and to establish comparative perspectives on other intellectual and religious environments. Accordingly, I often co-teach with colleagues who work on different periods, regions, and religions. Additionally I directed several international summer schools for postgraduate students from all around the world.

Supervision: I have supervised numerous theses mostly in the fields of church history and the history of religious and political thought. They range from Early Christianity to church-state-relations in the 20th century. Current and prospective students who wish to work with me are invited to contact me.

Fields of Interest

Early Modern Period

Intellectual History

Political Thought

Comparative Religious Studies

Church History

History of Theology

Religious Dissent

Reformation Studies

Religion and Politics

Religious Violence

Doctoral Supervision

Honor in Harmony. Social Unity Based on Ethical Virtue in Renaissance Poland-Lithuania / Povilas Dikavicius (current)

Research Fellow at the International Consortium for Research in the Humanities "Fate, Freedom and Prognostication. Strategies of Coping with the Future in East Asia and Europe" at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. (2012)